Several Factors Led To Record Setting Export Year

Despite COVID, supply chain issues, and the war in Ukraine, the United States in fiscal year 2022 still managed to set a new record for exports of agricultural products at $196.4 billion.  There were several factors pushing that figure higher over the past year.  Head of the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service Daniel Whitney said commodity prices were well above what farmers received in 2021.

“This was a year in which there was a lot of demand, and we were able to get out and resume a number of our programs trade missions and trade shows we were able to talk with our customers, take our exporters and our sellers to these customers," he noted.  "And the one thing we always heard was we want to rely and strengthen our trade relationship with American agriculture even more.”

And while prices and export values of many U.S. bulk commodities have come down moderately in this new fiscal year, Whitley said the U.S. ag industry with help from USDA will be finding new customers and new markets to try to make up for those lower prices.

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